Bansihment
by Michelle285
Summary: What happens when Mia notices something that could be considered illegal? Could it have bad results? Or can Clarisse handle it? Not the best summary or even title really.


_Disclaimer: If you recognize it, you can be sure I don't own it._

 _A/N: I got this idea a while ago and I tried to work it all out in my head before I posted it. I actually have two more, short ideas, and we'll see if anything comes from those. I haven't watched the movie in a while, so if my characters are off (or my lines are slightly off)…so sorry! Also, I took some liberties with Genovian laws but…the one I made up could be one! I think it sounds reasonable! Also one could argue all Genovian laws are made up…as is the country. :) I don't know that Shade's actual name is ever mentioned, but I've seen Scott in a lot of fics, so that's the one I'm using. Please let me know if I should give someone credit for that! This starts in the carriage before the Genovia Independence Day Parade! Enjoy!_

"Let's go, Joseph," Clarisse commanded, getting into the carriage. "We're already late."

"Wait!" Mia cried. "What about Shades?"

"What about who?" Clarisse asked.

"Scott, Your Majesty," Joseph supplied. "His nickname around the palace is Shades."

Clarisse wrinkled her forehead, but answered her granddaughter. "He's not coming."

"But he's my security," Mia argued.

"I'm your security today, Princess," Joseph told Mia.

"You're also Grandma's security," Mia pointed out. "And what is it you've always told me about one bodyguard being security for two people?"

Joseph tried to hold in his eye roll. He hated it when she used his words against him and aside from her grandmother, she was the best at it. "One security guard can't effectively protect two people."

"Exactly!" Mia exclaimed. "If I go out without my security, I'm going to get shot at and die. At least, that's what you and Shades have been trying to get across to me. Not to mention, if someone smart is going to shoot at us—"

"No one _smart_ is going to shoot at the Renaldi family," Joseph quickly interrupted.

Mia giggled. "True, but if someone is going to shoot at us, the Independence Day Parade would be the best place to do it. There are crowds and crowds of people and no one is going to pay attention to what someone else is doing—he…or she…would be able to get away really easily.

"Also, the logical choice would be to shoot at me. Don't get me wrong, Grandma, you're great, but you're not going to live forever and unless Pierre can un-abdicate and get married and have a couple of kids…can he un-abdicate?...then the Renaldi rule will effectively be over!" Mia concluded.

Clarisse shook her head. It always amazed her that things like breathing seemed to be unimportant to Mia when she spoke. "Joseph will protect you."

At that, Mia full out laughed. "Get real, Grandma. Joe's amazing but the minute he hears gunfire, he will protect you. You're always going to be his priority, first, last and always. After he is absolutely, positively positive you are okay, then _maybe_ he'll check on me."

Clarisse looked back at Joseph to gauge the truth of Mia's statement. All Joseph did was shrug.

Clarisse pursed her lips and was about to say something when Mia, again, voiced her thoughts. "I really think Shades should come." Mia wasn't worried about getting shot, but—in the case the unthinkable did happen—she didn't want things to be strained between her grandmother and Joseph. If Mia got shot, Clarisse wouldn't be able to forgive Joseph (he would have a hard time forgiving himself too). If Joseph protected Mia and Clarisse got shot…well, Joseph wouldn't be able to live at all. This was a lose-lose no matter what.

"Shades and I cannot both ride on the back of the carriage," Joseph told Mia. "It would be too much for the horses."

"You can ride in the carriage with us," Mia teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Joseph smiled and answered before Clarisse could. "As much as I would love that, it's against protocol. Not to mention, it's the same amount of weight, just distributed differently."

Mia thought over that for a second. "Well then, if I hear gunfire…I'll duck."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Let's go. Now we're definitely late."

Mia sighed and in her best Clarisse voice said, "Grandma, a Queen is never late. Everyone else is…simply early."

Joseph had to bite his lips to keep from laughing. This young girl frustrated Clarisse so much because she was exactly like her. He had seen it from the beginning and knew that was why Mia would make a great Queen.

-%

"But you will be with me when I bring it up in Parliament, right?" Mia asked her grandmother later that night.

"Yes," Clarisse assured her. "We will make plans for the Children's Center and present it next week."

"Great," Mia said, sighing. "I just don't know how I'm ever going to be able to present things in front of Parliament. There's so much I still need to learn!"

"We haven't gotten to that in our queen lessons yet," Clarisse told her granddaughter. "We will, don't you worry."

"It seems that might've been slightly more important than the art of the fan," Mia grumbled under her breath.

"There she goes again, sassing her grandma," Clarisse mumbled exactly the way Mia had.

Mia laughed, knowing that had been her grandmother's intention and repeated what she had said the day she learned the how to correctly use a fan. "I would never sass you, Grandma!"

Clarisse smiled as well. "It is getting quite late so if there's nothing else…"

"Wait!" Mia exclaimed. "Do you think…well…could we talk about something personal for a minute?"

Clarisse raised her eyebrows, immediately becoming suspicious. "Personal pertaining to whom exactly?"

"Personal pertaining to you?" Mia phrased it as a question, knowing how private her grandmother was with emotions.

"As long as when you say _talk_ I reserve the right to keep quiet," Clarisse said. She was curious as to what her granddaughter wanted to talk about, since she didn't usually _ask_ to talk about something personal, she just did. Still though, Clarisse wasn't a fan of sharing much of anything, which is why she raised her stipulation.

"Fair enough," Mia agreed. "If you don't want to talk though, you at least have to listen, even if what you think I'm saying is ridiculous. Deal?"

Now Clarisse was really curious, but also becoming a bit nervous. Just what was it that Mia wanted to talk about? "Deal."

"Are you going to meet with Joe tonight?" Mia asked.

"Probably," Clarisse told Mia.

"Why?" Mia continued to question.

"Briefing," Clarisse said simply. "On security measures."

"Do you security brief with him every night?" Mia wondered.

Clarisse raised her eyebrows. "Is this the personal talk you wanted to have?"

Mia relented. "Sort of. When you talk with him tonight, are you going to talk to him about rearranging his priorities?"

Clarisse was confused. "What?"

"You aren't going to tell him when he's out with you and me that I have to be his first priority are you?" Mia inquired. "I mean, when it's just him providing the security."

"I…hadn't thought about it," Clarisse replied. "I doubt it. He is _my_ bodyguard."

Mia smiled. "Good. Don't. Don't mention this afternoon at all."

Clarisse was not used to people telling her what to do, especially her granddaughter. She was the one who did the telling. "May I ask why not?"

"This is where it gets personal," Mia warned Clarisse. "Joe loves you."

"Amelia!" Clarisse exclaimed.

"You can deny it if you want, but it's the truth," Mia said. "That's why you can't ask him if—when entering a dangerous situation—he would really protect you first and ask him _why_. Old Genovian law states that an ordinary, commoner cannot fall in love with the queen and express it. Joe is in no way ordinary or common, but he's not royalty. According to the law, if a commoner is in love with a royal person—royal by marriage—and expresses that love, whether it is by voice or action, they will be banished. I really, really like Joe and I really don't want him to be banished!"

Clarisse sighed. "First off, that law hasn't been enforced in ages."

"Neither has the marriage law, but all of a sudden that's so important," Mia pointed out.

"That's only because of that snake Arthur Mabrey," Clarisse countered. "Secondly, the queen has to approve a banishment. Parliament can all agree to banish someone, but ultimately it's the queen's decision. I can veto almost anything Parliament decides. I would _not_ let them banish Joseph.

"Lastly, this is not an issue because Joseph is not in love with me!" Clarisse finished. "He just takes his job very seriously."

"That may be, Grandma," Mia consented. "If it is, there would be no harm in asking him, but if it isn't, well, I think it's physically impossible for him to lie to you. And yes, you can always veto when it comes to Parliament, but…you couldn't get me out of this marriage and I don't want Parliament to decide you don't have veto power when it comes to Joe. So, you won't mention it to him?"

"It's not an issue," Clarisse reiterated, for what felt like the millionth time. "However, if it will make you happy, I won't mention it to him."

Mia stood up and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "Thanks, Grandma."

-%

In her room a few minutes later, Mia smiled. Clarisse could deny it for the rest of her life, but Joe loved her. Everyone in the palace saw it, and Mia would be disappointed in her grandmother if even she didn't suspect something. Mia hoped that, despite all her pleas tonight, she had pushed her grandmother into mentioning something to him. If they could just talk about it, well, who knew what might happen.

Mia wasn't worried at all about Joe being evicted from the country. She knew her grandmother was telling the truth when she said she wouldn't let Parliament send Joe away and if he did somehow express his love, Clarisse wouldn't dare tell anyone!

-%

Two seconds after Clarisse had sat down on her sofa, a knock sounded at her door. "Come in."

Joseph shut the door behind him and smiled at her. "How did the meeting with Mia go?"

Clarisse gently toed off her shoes, not worried about acting like a queen around him. "It went well. We discussed the Children's Center that she wants to build. We decided to hire Lord Crowley's brother."

"He doesn't speak to his brother," Joseph reminded Clarisse.

Clarisse smirked. "I know. The center will get built much faster that way, don't you think."

Joseph laughed. "Sneaky!"

"I know," Clarisse repeated. "That, however, sent Mia into a slight panic about how she still had so much to learn, but I assured her we'd cover it all in queen lessons."

"I'm sure she loved that," Joe teased, knowing how much the girl would rather spend her time elsewhere.

"Then she decided to get personal," Clarisse told Joe.

By this time, Joe had sat down on the couch beside Clarisse. "Uh-oh."

"It wasn't too bad," Clarisse assured him. "She just begged me not to mention this afternoon to you."

Joseph was just as confused as Clarisse had been. "Did she say why?"

Clarisse nodded. "She said you loved me. And didn't want you to get banished."

Joseph threw his head back and laughed. "Guess I need to work on being more discreet?"

Clarisse smiled, leaned against Joseph and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'd say so."

Joseph dropped a few kisses in her hair. "Did she believe you when you denied it?" He knew there was no way Clarisse would confirm her granddaughter's suspicions, even though they were true.

Clarisse lifted her head and glared at him. "I certainly hope so!"

Joseph gently coaxed her head back to his shoulder. "I'm sure she did. You can be very convincing when you put your mind to it, my darling."

"She _is_ my granddaughter," Clarisse pointed out. "I'm worried she may the one person, besides you of course, who can tell when I'm lying."

Joseph thought it best not to mention that Charlotte could probably tell when the queen was lying as well. "Even if she does, we will never give her any reason to confirm her suspicions and though she is young, she's smart. She knows this is something she should keep to herself." Again, Joseph didn't say Mia probably would prod Charlotte to find out what she knew, but only Charlotte.

Clarisse sighed. "I hope you're right."

"Aren't I always?" Joe teased.

"You're confused," Clarisse said calmly. "That's me."

Joseph couldn't help it, he had to chuckle. "You're right."

Clarisse lifted her head, again, and smiled at him. "See. Queens are always right."

"So, should I be worried?" Joseph asked Clarisse.

"Worried?" Clarisse echoed. "Worried about what?"

"Banishment," Joseph clarified. "Old Genovian law states…"

Clarisse knew he was teasing, but she wanted to take it a step further. "Joseph. I would _never_ let Parliament banish you. I love you."

Joseph thought his heart stopped beating. He knew she did, she wouldn't be here like this with him if she didn't, but hearing her say it was something else entirely. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I love you too."

 _I hope you enjoyed this! I would really appreciate it if you would tell me how you felt about it. You can't do that unless you review. Please leave me a review and thanks for reading!_


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